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United States Senate elections, 1976

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61 seats
  
37 seats

61
  
38

53.7%
  
41.5%

Start date
  
November 2, 1976

61
  
37

31,790,526
  
24,562,431

1.5%
  
1.9%

United States Senate elections, 1976 httpsuploadwikimediaorgwikipediacommonsthu

Winner
  
Robert Byrd

The United States Senate elections, 1976 was an election for the United States Senate that coincided with Democratic Jimmy Carter's election to the presidency and the United States Bicentennial celebration. Although almost half of the seats being decided in this election changed parties, Carter's narrow victory did not provide coattails for the Democrats, and the balance of the chamber remained the same. This was the first election in which the Libertarian Party competed, running candidates in 9 of the 33 contested seats.

Contents

Retirements

The leaders of both parties retired. Democrats had a net gain of one seat from retirements.

Democratic holds

  1. Michigan: Philip Hart (D) was replaced by Donald W. Riegle, Jr. (D).
  2. Hart then died December 27, 1976 and Riegle was appointed to finish the term.
  3. Montana: Majority leader Mike Mansfield (D) was replaced by John Melcher (D).

Democratic gains

  1. Arizona: Paul Fannin (R) was replaced by Dennis DeConcini (D).
  2. Hawaii: Hiram Fong (R) was replaced by Spark Matsunaga (D).
  3. Nebraska: Roman Hruska (R) was replaced by Edward Zorinsky (D).
  4. Hruska then resigned December 27, 1976 and Zorinsky was appointed in his place.

Republican hold

  1. Pennsylvania: Hugh Scott (R) was replaced by John Heinz (R).

Republican gains

  1. Missouri: Stuart Symington (D) was replaced by John Danforth (R).
  2. Symington then resigned December 27, 1976 and Danforth was appointed to finish the term.
  3. Rhode Island: John O. Pastore (D) was replaced by John Chafee (R).
  4. Pastore then resigned December 28, 1976 and Chafee was appointed to finish the term.

Incumbents who lost

Republicans had a net gain of one seat from re-election gains.

Democratic gains

  1. Maryland: John Glenn Beall, Jr. (R) lost re-election to Paul Sarbanes (D).
  2. New York: James L. Buckley (C) lost re-election as a Republican to Daniel Patrick Moynihan (D).
  3. Ohio: Robert Taft, Jr. (R) lost re-election to former Senator Howard Metzenbaum (D).
  4. Taft then resigned December 28, 1976. Metzenbaum was appointed to finish the term.
  5. Tennessee: Bill Brock (R) lost re-election to Jim Sasser (D).

Republican gains

  1. California: John V. Tunney (D) lost re-election to S. I. Hayakawa (R).
  2. Tunney then resigned January 1, 1977 and Hayakawa was appointed to finish the term.
  3. Indiana: Vance Hartke (D) lost re-election to Richard Lugar (R).
  4. New Mexico: Joseph Montoya (D) lost re-election to Harrison Schmitt (R).
  5. Utah: Frank Moss (D) lost re-election to Orrin Hatch (R).
  6. Wyoming: Gale W. McGee (D) lost re-election to Malcolm Wallop (R).

Complete list of races

A bolded state name links to an article about that state's election.

References

United States Senate elections, 1976 Wikipedia
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